Psalms 126

Ps 126 This hymn celebrates Israel’s return from exile (126:1-3). The psalmist prays for full restoration (126:4-6).126:1-3 The Lord brought about Israel’s restoration from exile, just as he had brought Israel out of Egypt (114:1). The restoration transformed the weeping of the Lord’s people into laughter and showed the Lord’s character to the nations (9:11; 64:9; Isa 12:4).

126:4-6 The prophets had spoken of the restoration as a time when the wilderness would change into the Garden of Eden (Isa 51:3; Ezek 47); the reality fell far short of paradise. Here the restoration community prays for full redemption (see Hag 2:19). • as streams renew the desert: The seasonal rains filled the dry river beds (wadis), and the land turned green again. The prayer looks for a similar transformation of Israel’s fortunes, a fulfillment of the imagery of the “Second Exodus” in Isaiah (see “The Promise of a Second Exodus” Theme Note). • The harvest represents God’s full restoration.